Double murder of temple priest, friend on Tamil New Year

A ribald joke among friends celebrating the Tamil New Year over the 'effeminate' nature of a temple priest turned into horror as the man ended with a slit throat and his close friend strangled while in a four-wheel drive vehicle in Rawang early today.

The suspected killer and his three accomplices then pushed the Perodua Kembara containing the two bodies, off a cliff at the 10km Jalan Bristol, causing it to plunge several metres before it was stuck half-way on a slope.

Gombak police chief, ACP Ali Ahmad said members of the public stumbled on the badly-damaged vehicle about 8am before alerting the police.

He said the bodies of the deceased – whose identities were withheld to facilitate investigations – were sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital. The dead men were in their 20s.

In a follow-up operation about 9am, a police team detained two men in Rawang in connection with the double murder. A manhunt is underway to track down two other suspects.

Ali said: "Initial investigations revealed one of the suspects who sat in the rear passenger seat of the Perodua Kembara was reported to have said something offensive to the priest who was driving the vehicle with five passengers.

"At that juncture, an argument ensued before the priest brandished a paper-cutter at the suspect.

"The suspect managed to grab the paper-cutter and slit the priest's throat. Seeing this, the priest's acquaintance who was seated in the front passenger seat, threatened to contact the police.

"The suspect then turned on him and strangled him with a seat-belt."

He said the four suspects moved the two bodies to the rear of the vehicle before pushing it off a cliff, only for the vehicle to be stuck half-way on the slope.